Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[HOUMedGal]

Lanie - I'm sorry you feel rushed. That's no good. I haven't felt rushed at my appointments, BUT I have felt frustrated at how far behind she runs sometimes. I think 20 lbs at 33 weeks is awesome!!! Seriously, what's wrong with that?! Nothing at all. You probably won't gain much more than 5 on top of that by the time he comes, and a total gain of 25 is great (perfect!) for someone who started out small/normal like you!! You're right on track. At this point, you should be gaining about 1 lb per week. We got our 3D done at babyimage in Sugarland - it was a really great experience overall. The ultrasonagrapher was super nice, and he worked so hard to get Ellie to turn so we could get good pics (even to the point where he had me get on the floor and do cat/cow yoga poses to encourage her to move!! And it worked!) and because she took forever to turn, he spent extra time with us (at no extra charge). They also have a guarantee that you'll get at least a couple good face shots or they'll bring you back for a rescan for free.

Cupcake - that's one cute little belly you have there! You're tiny!! I foresee one of those cute little basketball bumps in your future.

Lynnie - thank you dear! The scan was so much fun, and now I can't stop looking at the pics over and over again. You are looking fantastic!! What a cute belly! Hang in there with your shifts - you're right, 12 hrs is a looooong time, especially in your 3rd tri! But you are so close - can you believe it?? Only a few weeks now!!

-----------------------------------------

28 weeks today!! I'm a bit concerned that my crotch pain is going to get worse and worse - and I still have 12 weeks left! Will have to discuss that with the doc on Monday. Also doing my Glucola on Monday - wish me luck!! Oh, and have been having the craziest most bizarre vivid dreams lately - just really strange stuff. Preggo brain. *sigh*

 

[luvinlife]

Hi Ladies,
My Friday belly pic is going to have to wait until Saturday..... I'm wiped out.

Cupcake- You are tiny and you look great!!

Loves Vintage- hi We are going to hold out on finding out the gender for now. I think I want it to a surprise. With that being said don't be surprised if curiosity gets the best from me.

I have a question, I'm at week 18 and I have days that I feel the baby moving and others that I don't. I keep saying the baby is trying to stress mom out before s(he) is born. I tried drinking orange juice and putting frozen blueberries on my tummy before I came to my senses. Any thoughts on this on again off again movement besides 'just get used to it?'

Thanks,
LL

 

[tiffanytwisted]

LL- I'm 20 weeks today (yay!) and the movement I feel is still sporadic, some days I feel them and some I don't. I think that's still normal until they are a little bigger.

 

[luvinlife]

Tiffany- I've been following your story for a while and am so happy to hear that your already 20 weeks...Hooray!!!
As far as the movements are concerned my peanut started moving pretty early on ( and kind of spoiled me a bit) so now if I don't feel her move a whole lot I get concerned. Thanks for the reassurance.

LL

 

[noelwr]

34w

I've been suffering from the pregnancy blues, if such a thing exists. I don't think it's hormones because at work I don't have mood swings, but usually once I get out of work and am driving home the tears start coming. it's been this way for a week. I'm trying to analyze what it is. I think it might be labor anxiety as I do worry that I am going to be duped out of being able to get an epidural, and when I think about labor, I do get sad. plus with the birth class on Mondays, the yoga class on Fridays and having an appointment with midwife on Tues to discuss the birth plan, I think it might be labor-info overload. hopefully after the talk on Tues, I will feel better. I'm sure it's not anxiety about the baby coming because I am SO looking forward to her being here. it could also be that I've had lots of physical discomfort in the 3rd trimester and that all in addition to not sleeping well might just be getting to me.

the other crappy thing is that I have a lump in my boob which wasn't showing up as a cyst on an ultrasound, so on Thurs I have to go to the breast cancer ward at the hospital to get it felt, x-rayed (if they can put a lead sheet in front of the baby) and maybe biopsied. not looking forward to having my boobs smashed and needle stuck in there, but at least they'll be able to figure out what it is. I think it's still likely just to be a normal lump enlarged due to pregnancy hormones, so I am not too worried about it. this issue seems so unimportant to me compared to being there for the baby when she comes, that if in the end it's malignant, I'm willing to have the whole boob cut out if that's the quickest way to recover. of course I will feel differently about it if it does turn out to be breast cancer, but the timing would actually be a blessing-in-disguise because I've got a baby to focus on.

but the good news is that I had a visit yesterday from the agency that's going to send someone to my place for 6 hrs per day the first 8 days the baby is home. and she is going to help A LOT. she'll come in the morning, make my breakfast, let me go shower, show me how to wash/clean the baby, take baby's temp, weigh baby, make lunch, prepare dinner if necessary and will spend a lot of time focusing on breast feeding and answering all my questions. if I have visitors, she'll make the coffee and she'll also do all the wash (apparently they will change my bed sheets every day), clean the bathroom and toilet every day, and even some vacuuming! the only thing is that we have to raise the bed so that can she easier assist and not put out her back.

the other good news is that at yoga class yesterday, I mentioned to the teacher I have pelvic joint pain and she said when I sleep on my side with a pillow in between my legs, I should bend my knees, but keep the knees together at the same height. usually I sleep with the bottom leg extended and the top leg bent, but she said then my pelvic bones are misaligned and this will cause pain. so last night I slept as she showed me and when I turned and got out of bed to pee, I didn't have the pain anymore! it could also be because we did some exercises in class, which I think I will start doing every night. so if this what you other women mean by evil crotch pain, there's a sleeping tip. she also said that if the pain doesn't go away, that I must go get physiotherapy with a specialist. there is one girl in the yoga class who is not even 30 weeks and she has to go on early maternity leave because she has such horrible pelvic joint pain that she can hardly even walk. the teacher said don't let that happen to me!

and the last good news is that I finally felt my little girl's foot yesterday. I feel her moving constantly and she is so strong, but I could never make out what the limbs were. yesterday there was the tiniest hard little lump sticking out my side, and I realized it was her foot! obviously I couldn't tell where the heel or toes were, but it was so darn cute.

and here is humungoid belly at 34 weeks. the scary thing I read is that when women go on maternity leave, the babies undergo a growth spurt because the reduction of office stress allows the placenta to work optimally. how can this belly possibly get any bigger???

 

[Dreamer_D]

Hey everyone! So I am knocked up with number two. Still early on, only 4 weeks, but cautiously optimisitc as usual! I am due July 15 2011 based on LMP. But I think I will have a better idea of my real due date after my 11 week NT scan -- Hunter was born one week early according to LMP, which was *exactly* the day he was due based on the 11 week scan.

So far so good. A little exhaustion and evening nausea but nothing too bad. Waiting to get set up with a midwifery practice -- hopefully will get to talk to them Monday and get a confirmation. There are only 2 multi-midwife practices in my city (a few with 1-2 midwives) and I *really* want to get in with one particular one, so any fingers crossed for me would help. I had a midwife last time and LOVED it and since I want a totally natural birth this go with less intervention if possible, going with an OB is utterly and completely out of the question.

Question Ladies who run or do other more strenuous excercise, how did you manage to keep it up in the first trimester when you are tired??

Evil Crotch Pain Hou I hope you don't get that! Mine was horrendous and I could not walk or move my legs independently of one another for the last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy Hunter was balloted because I has polyhydramnios and so he never tucked in behind my pubic bone, so whenever I moved Bang Bang Bang his head on my pubic bone. The single mose painful thing, worse than labour BY FAR. Anyways, I am hoping for you it stays mild or goes away when your baby decends -- mine went away 3 days before labour when Hunter finally decended a little Noel I used to get what you describe too when sleeping and the position you are now using was great! Did not help with the pain when I moved, but greatly helped my comfort at night when sleeping. I also wanted to offer you a hug for your fears/worries about labour. It really really is not that bad. No matter what your brain sends out huge amounts of endorphins and you will feel stoned the whole time, and that really does help with the pain, epi or no epi (I experienced both). But partume depression can indeed happen at any time and gets worse after the baby is born, so watch yourself eh?

Anyways, nice to be here again! Am I the only btdt mom pregnant right now?

 

[taovandel]

Congrats again! And nope you aren't the only BTDT mom on this thread.....CDT is around every once in awhile as is Diva...and of course I check in every once in awhile....I don't think Puffy checks in on here......


Nothing too new from me to report. 19 weeks as of yesterday..Evan turned 1 last week. We still don't have a boy name figured out so fingers crossed this one is a girl. Still wishing it was November 16th already (We find out the sex that day..hopefully).

I did an old wives tale sex predictor type of thing.

You chop up red cabbage and then boil it for 10-15 minutes. And then you take 1 part cabbage water and 1 part urine and mix it and if it turns pink/red it's a boy and if it turns purple it's a girl. Mine turned purple.

 

[puffy]

DD, congrats!!! i worked out 7 days a week when i was preggo with #2 then i went down to 6 days when i was 30 weeks. it was tough in the beginning, but i was in the routine of doing it. and now that i'm preggo once again, i'm still working out and doing exactly the same exercises that i was doing before i was preggo, with the exception of a few things. if you're too tired during the first tri, then i would take a break and just go on short walks and continue with regular exercise when you start to feel like your old self. once again, congrats!!

 

[geri]

I hate the new PS - it just ate my post again

Houie and Bliss - hello Nice to see you both posting and glad to hear everything is going well!!

Lv - We definitely need a belly pic

Tiffany and Miscka - congrats on your boys!

Lanie - I'm sorry you are getting grief about your weight gain. It sounds great to me and you always look great in your belly pics so hope you are not worrying about it too much.

Lynnie - Looking good. Hope you get through those final few shifts.

Tao - Hope the gender is what you are hoping for at your scan!

Noelwr- Good luck on Thursday. I'm really sorry you have to deal with this. I'm sure everything is fine but am sending you positive vibes in any event.

Kunzite - Hope little Oliver is still baking away.

Welcome DD and Luvinlife.

Hello to everyone I have missed - hope you and your LO's are doing well!

As for me, I am 27 weeks and entering the 3rd trimester I have grown a lot in the last few weeks (see belly pic below) which is hardly surprising since I am starving all the time. We are trying to plan a babymoon for 2 weeks time and were thinking of Hawaii but we are struggling to find travel insurance to cover me. Most policies in Australia that purport to cover pregnancy exclude birth and don't cover the baby - I'm not sure what this leaves since this would be the biggest risk if, heaven forbid, anything went wrong There's no way we could afford medical bills in the US without cover so hoping we can find a decent policy.

 

[Deelight]

Awww ladies I can always count on you guys to make me feel better thank you and reassure a nervous first time mum - I swear I am still scared from watching the delivery video in grade 9 science - OMG.

Sorry for not posting sooner - I come in every day and read everyones posts - but I have been in such a negative irrational mood I refrained from posting - YAY for hormones.

Cupcake I swear waiting to find out the sex felt like forever - but one you do it is all seems down hill timewise from there

Kunzite Glad to see baby is still baking in there sending more baking dust your way - ditto noel's advice walk around if you can just to keep your muscle strength up

noelwr WOW that quilt painting is beautiful - your one talented mamma

Focusing on the positives first awww how cute on the feeling the foot that is awesome

As for the other things - sending dust that the lump is nothing and that you do not have to get a biopsy. As for the pregnancy blues - as you said I am not sure there is a proper term but I know I get the same way it could just be a whole combination of things and if your not sleeping well that would not help - I find when I don't have my mind focused elsewhere it makes it easier to fall into the blues - I hope it passes soon .

P.S I think your belly is cute - far from humingoid IMHO you look fantastic .

Houie awww your 3d pics are so cute - look at those little fingers and nose - she is going to be one cute little bubba

luvinlife Congrats on the milestone - how awesome are baby movements your hubby will be able to feel them soon unless she is naughty like my bean and stops as soon as anyone puts a hand on my belly


Also with irreggular baby movements - I would say yup it is normal especially when you first start feeling them the bub is likely still moving however you may not always feel them - the other thing is if your really busy through the day you may not pay attn to the movements all the time


Miscka Congrats on team blue as for the heartburn - I find mineral water is a good preventative or soda water but milk can help and I take rennie's if they are bad

dreamer Congrats and welcome back to the thread

Geri you look fab I hope you can find cover soon if not have you thought about somewhere closer to home - maybe up north would be nice


______________________________________________________

Okay minor rant - WTH is it with rando's thinking they can comment on your body FYI people - I am still a person with feelings and highly attuned ones at the moment, I don't care what you think unless it is positive I don't want to hear it. I don't care that so and so is/was smaller FYI people carry differently and depending on how the baby sits the belly does change shape and size URGH.

*minor rant over*

So nothing much to report here at 22 wks and 2 days I can still fit into my pre pregnancy clothes and am about to bite the bullet and buy some mat clothes *eeeek* I found a very cheap aussie based website that sells clothes quite cheap with low postage -however not sure what they are like yet *fingers crossed* I have put on order 2 pairs of pants, 1 jeans 2 shirts and one dress for $242 very impressed

I can start feeling her movements more and I find little lumps in my belly that move when I rub them - however hubby still hasn't felt proper kicks yet cause she is being a little snot and stops kicking as soon as someone touches my belly.

As for life stuff much of the same really except I am finding I get grumpier quicker especially at work I just do not have the patience for doosieness anymore LOL


Positive note - finally uploaded my wedding pics to FB - next stop PS


And I can't remember who asked for FB info but I am happy to send mine along

Hope you ladies are all well

 

[noelwr]

Deelight - I totally hear you. everyone has a comment about the way I look (and many of these were already in the 2nd tri):

"You are so big! Are you sure she's not coming early?"
"You look ready to pop!"
"Are you sure you're not carrying twins?"
"Wow, your feet are so swollen."
"Wow, your swollen hands look painful."
"You seem to be retaining a lot of water."
"I can see you're carrying a girl because your face has lost its shine."



and a lot of these are from mothers! hello?!? I feel like saying "when you were pregnant, and I thought you looked like a hippo, I kept my mouth shut. why can't you do the same?"

 

[Deelight]

Deelight - I totally hear you. everyone has a comment about the way I look (and many of these were already in the 2nd tri):

"You are so big! Are you sure she's not coming early?"
"You look ready to pop!"
"Are you sure you're not carrying twins?"
"Wow, your feet are so swollen."
"Wow, your swollen hands look painful."
"You seem to be retaining a lot of water."
"I can see you're carrying a girl because your face has lost its shine."



and a lot of these are from mothers! hello?!? I feel like saying "when you were pregnant, and I thought you looked like a hippo, I kept my mouth shut. why can't you do the same?"

HAHAHAHAHAHA OMG hun you have just made my day LMAO at that last comment- seriously that and the little tiny baby piglet I saw today at the hardware store so tiny and cute .

It is like people lose there manners when they see a belly out in front.

I officially bit the bullet I bought mat clothes online hit the order button just now - they should be here in the next 7-10 days gosh I hope they look good *fingers crossed*

I find it so hard to find decent clothes that a) fit tall people and b) fit my humongous thighs - more importantly I hope my current clothes can last the next 7-10 days.

I tried mat jeans in the store where I buy my usual jeans from today - they were actually smaller then my normal jeans - WTF I could not fit my knees in them that really made me feel good LOL

 

[Loves Vintage]

Catluver, Sorry to hear about the hernia! Eek! Did you get a belt? Hope you are feeling better now.

HMG, Nope! I haven't posted any photos yet! In fact, the only picture of me on PS is of the back of my head (wedding hair)! How long does the ECP last for? I notice intense tightness when I get up after sitting for a while, or lying down, but it goes away after maybe 5-7 steps. Is yours different? Do you feel it all the time? Good luck with your glucola!

Lynnie, Yay for 34 weeks!! Yay for head down too! You look great! So compact!!

Cupcake, I'm glad to hear your DH is doing a little better and the shooting pains are gone. You look great in your pic. So many PS ladies are teeny-tiny! Are you ready to tell work? Or, are you planning to wait? I think you can definitely go quite a few more weeks before anyone notices, especially with sweater season upon us.

Lanie, How was your last shower? Are you all set with baby stuff?

LL, It's definitely normal to feel the baby only sometimes. I don't think I even felt the baby at 18 weeks. As your pregnancy progresses, you will feel baby more.

Noel, Sorry to hear that you are feeling down. It could be that you just hold everything in while you're at work, and then are finally able to release on your drive home, that's when the tears come. Hope you are feeling better now. Perhaps you are just feeling over-scheduled? Sorry, too, to hear about the lump. Chances are that everything is just fine, but it's great that you're getting checked. The woman who'll be coming to your home to help sounds WONDERFUL!!! That is exactly what I want!!! I'm starting to get a little worried about what we are going to do with Samantha once she arrives. I have no experience with babies, and limited to no family support. My husband tells me that we'll be fine on our own, but I'm a worrier!

Also, you look GREAT in your photo! I haven't had people telling me anything much about my body, except this one woman who tells me every time she sees me -- "You know, I really do think you're having a girl" Yathink?! She's the same woman who told me after my u/s that she knows so many people that they've gotten it wrong for! So, now, when she tells me that I AM having a girl, I just smile and say, "yeah, I think so too!" Anyway, if anyone does say anything to me, I just smile for the acknowledgment of my pregnancy!! I had my first stranger acknowledge my pregnancy yesterday, and I was so excited! Maybe people are afraid to assume a woman is pregnant?? I definitely haven't been feeling any special privileges either, mostly just getting bumped around all the time! Makes me crazy!!

Dreamer! CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME!!

Tao, One day closer to Nov. 16th! I know the waiting is so hard!

Geri, You look great!! Wow to a 2 week vacation! I hope you can find acceptable insurance so you can be worry-free on your trip. How far along will you be when you go?

Deelight, Re: moodiness, I was really cranky moody at work all the time, probably around weeks 20-26, to the extent that there were some days I wanted to leave work. The GOOD news is that now, I feel SOOOOOOO calm. My husband is amazed at the difference. Haha. I can't explain it, but I'll take it. As far as comments from randos, if someone told me that so and so carried so much smaller, I would hold my belly, smile hugely, and say, I am so grateful for my pregnant body. I really am! Don't let anyone take the specialness of this time from you. Fact of the matter is that we DO all carry differently, and each and every one of us are amazing!

*********

As for me, DH and I took a long weekend in Boston. We stopped off at a cloth diaper store on our way into the city, so I was in my glory and picked up some nice essentials! OH, so a woman came into the shop. She was 38 weeks and just found out she's having a boy, not a girl, as she'd been told at 20 weeks. She was returning her girl diapers in exchange for boy prints instead. I felt so bad for her because she said she'd been sewing all summer, made a pink quilt, etc. She seemed to be taking it all in stride though!!

The rest of the weekend was wonderful. Lots of good food, a really nice dinner in the North End, followed by cannolis at Mike's Pastry. They really ARE that good! Lots of walking made for a very tired LV! Oh went to a few vintage shops too and saw an amazing OMC three stone (less than 1 tcw) for 22,000!! Crazy!! Not THAT amazing!

Here's my first BP taken at the hotel this weekend. I've definitely grown in the past 2 weeks. I have another pic from a few weeks ago that I have to get on my computer to upload.

 

[CatLuver]

Hou – my hernia is small too, but it is sore and I want to make sure it doesn’t get bigger – so I’m trying to be really careful, which is hard because when I lay down I’m like a beached whale – it’s hard to get up w/o using my stomach muscles. I bought the heavy duty support band that puppmom posted and it provides a lot of support, but I’m also kind of afraid to use it because I don’t want to cause UGR…it’s always something Glad your 3d US was awesome – I’m excited to get ours in a few weeks. You should post a new belly pic!

Lynnie – wow, you are getting so close! You still look so small for 34w!

Cupcake – I didn’t tell most at work until 19.5 weeks (after the anatomy scan to make sure everything looked ok), but that was pushing it – I think people started noticing at least 1-2 weeks before that, if not only because I wasn’t wearing as fitted clothes as I normally wear.

Lanie – 20 lbs in 33 weeks sounds excellent to me – I would be thrilled with that. I have gained that much already and my OBs were not concerned at all.

Noel – sorry you are feeling blue. You are definitely booked up with pregnancy/birth preparation stuff – so it’s understandable if you feel overloaded. I hope everything is ok with the lump, that must be really difficult to go through – wishing you the best.

DD – welcome (back). All I can say is you are one fertile myrtle! I gave up running because my heart rate gets too high, but from weeks 6-12 I barely had enough energy to stay awake at work or past 8pm, let alone exercise. In the long run it won’t hurt to ease up your routine for a short period, I think.

Puffy – wow, you were/are a machine with working out. Good for you.

Geri – you still look teeny! Can’t believe you’re in the 3rd tri already. DH has been saying I look like I’m in the third tri for weeks now Hope the insurance thing works out for your babymoon.

Bliss – I feel stuffed too, and so stretched, esp after I eat a full meal – sooo uncomfortable! Doesn’t stop me though if it’s something good and I am hungry! That’s so funny that you liked the glucose drink. Yay for getting the flu shot. I feel the same way about choosing baby things to get – why do there have to be so many choices?? You posted before about your secret closet full of ribbons and girly things…I think that is so cute and sweet and wonderful that you get to use them now. PS on the boob unevenness thing – I had that too, and my DH told me it can be caused by sleeping more on one side (gravity causes the fluid to collect in the “bottom” boob), so I started sleeping on the other side and it totally worked – they evened out! So maybe that’s what’s causing it. Post a new belly pic!

LV – your weekend sounds really fun. It’s nice to see your pic finally! I can tell you have a bump!

AFM, we had our babymoon last weekend in So CA and it was great – just too short. We did about 4 hrs of hiking/walking one day until I really could not walk anymore because of the pain in my back hip muscles, but it was still really fun. I can definitely feel the extra 20 lbs in my feet. And I was naughty and had a nibble of toro sashimi which was soooo delicious, from the best sushi restaurant I’ve been to. Mainly I ate cooked rolls and ogled the delicious raw stuff that DH was eating.

I’m up 19-20 lbs at 25 weeks, feeling huge and stretched and wondering how I’m going to survive 15 more weeks of growth. I don't like feeling immobile. But aside from the stretched belly I feel great, so I can't complain.

Also very behind on buying baby stuff – I have bought absolutely nothing for the poor boy. All he has is a hand-me-down pack n play and some little baby gifts from my boss’s very sweet wife. Have picked out a carseat and stroller, but kind of dreading registering for all the other junk and feeling the need to research the heck out of everything. Feeling overwhelmed with all the other stuff to take care of in 4 short months, like research daycares, make sure the grandparents get Tdap, fix up the baby room and landscaping, etc.

Here is my belly that is getting bigger by the minute, and my cute kitty that wanted to be in the pic. My belly looks dfiferent depending on how I stand.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks for the welcome and great belly pics guys! You all look healthy and beautiful.

Now I remember all the others "repeat offenders"! Diva, puffy, CDT, Tao. How fun! For you ladies, do you find that your second (third) pregnancy is much different than your first?

Not sure how the excercise will pan out but I am hoping to keep it up. I am going to start walking to work again for some daily excercise at least. My goal this pregnancy is to gain much much less than in my last pregnancy -- I gained about 60lbs! Lost all but 5lbs from BFing for 12 months (thank god for breast feeding!), and before getting pg this time I did weight watchers and dropped another 20lbs, so I am now 15lbs lower than my prepregnancy weight last time. If I can keep the gain to a minimum then I am hoping the whole post-partum period will be much more enjoyable and my body will bounce back faster. Anyways, staying active is a part of my plan, so hopefully I can pull it off.

I am also going to go see a physio soon. My lower back and hips have been pretty messed since last time I gave birth. I fractured my tail bone in labour and it took about 6 mo before the pain was totally gone, but now the tendons connecting my tail bone to my hips (or whatever) are really tight and I am already having some pain at night since the pregnancy hormones are back, so hoping some physio can straighten it out before it gets worse.

 

[natalina]

Just a quick pop in to let all the preggies know that Old Navy has 25% off entire purchase online, including maternity and sale

 

[cdt1101]

Dreamer - CONGRATS!! So exciting! I wanted to chime in because I also had a tailbone injury during the birth of my son. Unfortunately once I hit the 3rd tri the tailbone is bothering me a lot! And I have a lot more evil crotch pain this time around (started earlier). I don't think the tailbone issue is helping w/ that at all! I will say that I am WAY more uncomfortable this time around eventhough I've gained a little less so far. Then again, I had kidney stones last time which so far I've managed to avoid so I'm not sure if that ordeal just masked all the discomfort I'm feeling now? Not sure, but I totally hit the pregnancy wall this week (32 weeks) and I'm just over being preggo. Oh and I have been SO tired this time, I feel like I have mono most days. It sucks and makes me generally more cranky than I should be

Funny enough though I was thinking of you last week because my tailbone and crotch have been bothering me so much I'm rarely online these days since I'm home fulltime now w/ Lex and I usually don't have the time so I just saw your annoucement today. Congrats again!

To the rest of you ladies - I've been a horrible PSer lately but I either don't have time or energy to come around. Seems like everyone is doing well though!!! Everyone looks great! Can't wait to "meet" all the winter babies coming soon!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Congrats again! And nope you aren't the only BTDT mom on this thread.....CDT is around every once in awhile as is Diva...and of course I check in every once in awhile....I don't think Puffy checks in on here......


Nothing too new from me to report. 19 weeks as of yesterday..Evan turned 1 last week. We still don't have a boy name figured out so fingers crossed this one is a girl. Still wishing it was November 16th already (We find out the sex that day..hopefully).

I did an old wives tale sex predictor type of thing.

You chop up red cabbage and then boil it for 10-15 minutes. And then you take 1 part cabbage water and 1 part urine and mix it and if it turns pink/red it's a boy and if it turns purple it's a girl. Mine turned purple.

I'm a BTDT mom and have been checking in here with my 2nd pregnancy.

DREAMER! Congrats!!

I'm pretty sure I've developed ECP. Ugh. When I stand up it feels like my pelvis is going to split in half - the pain is in the middle of my body, where my pubic mound ( ) is. Ouch ouch ouch ouch. I didn't have this with my first pregnancy so it's all new to me.

I've also had hip/tailbone problems since delivering my son so my hips already feel like they're popping out when I walk around and sleeping is very uncomfortable.

 

[Dreamer_D]

EGAD you ladies are making me nervous for the months to come! I am in much better shape this time than last, so I am really hoping with some physio etc that things might be a little better, but I am not totally optimistic.

Good news is that I indeed got in with the midwifery practice I wanted First appointment in about 2 weeks, much sooner than last time around. I am looking forward to it and getting a feel for how things will be different in my new city -- different midwifery practice, new hospital etc. Should be fun times!

 

[Laila619]

Vintage, how nice to see a photo of you! Your baby belly is just adorable and you look great!!

Lynnie, Noel, geri, and CatLuver, you girls look wonderful too!

To all my December girls, we're really in the home stretch now!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Laila, Can't wait for December to meet all the new babies!!

Natalina, Thanks for the Old Navy fyi! I'm about to place an order!!

Catluver, So, what stroller and car seat did you decide on? I love reading about everyone's choices. I can't believe you hiked so much! Good for you! My feet would have been burning. Re: getting up, I notice how much I use my abs too! I usually try to prop myself up first, by using my left elbow and forearm, but I can totally see my abdomen shaping itself upward as I rise. It is WEIRD!

Dreamer, Congrats on getting into the midwife practice you wanted!!

 

[CatLuver]

LV, I *think* we're going with the Bumbleride Indie and the Chicco Keyfit. I liked the City Mini, but it can't be used for rougher terrain or light jogging and seemed less sturdy. Although the rubber tires will be a pain to replace/repair, I remember pushing my cousins around in strollers with hard plastic tires and it feeling so rickety and loud - I'd like a smooth ride and the ability to do brisk walking/light jogging. I also like the sturdiness of the BOB and the fact that it's a real jogger, but it seemed so much longer and bulkier and is heavier. Went to BBB one time w/DH to check them out and just don't feel like doing any more research! Heh. For carseats, the Chicco Keyfit, out of the Bumbleride-compatible carseats they had at BBB, seemed to have the best snug fit in the Bumbleride and wasn't as big and bulky as some of the other carseats. So I hope we're done w/those two items. Just waiting for the Bumbleride to go on sale. I know we'll probably have to get an umbrella at some point too but I'll wait on that because I don't feel like explaining to DH right now why a $400 stroller is not enough

 

[taovandel]

Dreamer: This pregnancy feels different to me so far. I'm waaaaaay quick to anger this time around. the morning sickness was worse...but thankfully isn't lasting as long! I'm also carrying smaller this time around (or at least that is what people have told me). I was up like 10lbs last pregnancy and at my last appointment 2 weeks ago I hadn't gained any weight.

 

[icekid]

It has been waaay too long since my last post... despite continuing to read and keep up, every time I set out to write a post I could never finish it. But I am here now and am going to catch up!

Dreamer- YAY for number 2 and welcome! Tons of sticky dust to you

CatLuver- you really look fabulous. Such a cute little belly. I feel like mine is anything but cute. sigh.

LV- You know... I think you're having a girl, too! This is because you have had an ultrasound and told us so, though

noelwr- Sorry about the labor fears/stress. If it makes you feel any better, I am around laboring women all night long at the moment and now pushing 37 weeks and totally not fussed about labor. You are one strong woman and will get through it just fine! Hopefully plus lovely epidural. You are so lucky with your upcoming maternity leave; I am jealous. My plan is to work until the day labor starts, as pleasant as that sounds.

HMG- Loooove the 4d Ellie photos... Ah, that sweet little girl! We did not do them and hopefully will not regret it. But rather have decided to invest in a somewhat pricey newborn/6 mo/ 1 yr photographer package instead. I am soooo looking forward to those squishy newborn pics.

geri- Another teeny cute belly!

tiffany- Congrats on reaching 20 weeks. We would love to hear more about your little twins!

Bliss- You are way too cute. I love your happy posts and optimism. Your little girl is so blessed to have you as her mommy!

Lynnie- I loooove your round little belly. Mine has never been round and at this point, it's not looking promising.

Kunzite- Have been thinking of you and your little man. I hope that he is still baking happily away. Keep us updated!


I am 36 and 3! When, when did that happen??? It's nuts! My belly is still measuring pretty small (4ish weeks behind.) However, the kid is not! We had our 36 week growth ultrasound a couple days ago and he was measuring 6 lbs plus/minus 15 ounces. Definitely getting curious about how big he will be- soon enough we will know! His head is still way down in my pelvis and his new favorite activity is punching mommy in the bladder. Very pleasant.

Despite the constant punching/kicking abuse, it is still difficult to wrap my head around the fact that there will be a BABY here in just a few weeks. I keep looking at other people's brand new infants and feel a little shocked that someone is going to let us just walk out of the hospital with one. And is there REALLY one of those in my belly?! It's still surreal, even at this late stage.

This work stuff is becoming more taxing and exhausting by the day. Ironically, I am on OB and placing epidurals in grateful ladies all night long. Nights are really awful for me in general, because sleeping during the day is not my thing. Fingers crossed that I make it through the next week and a half without going into labor. After that is fair game, baby! I thought being on L&D might stress me out, watching all of the things that can and do go wrong, but not so much. Maybe when it really comes time the worry will set in?

I was going to post a 36 week belly shot... but I got to looking at my older, way less preggo photos and could not do it. Is this REALLY my body?? uggggggh. sigh. Depressing, and makes me really ready for labor so I can start looking like ME again.

re: ECP. I have it, but it's not awful. Like HMG, it's much worse when squatting... which I do frequently at work, unfortunately. Hope it is not worse with any subsequent babies! Oh, and I am also a member of the "I love ranitidine" club!

In other news, I still cannot decide what crib mattress to buy. It just should not be THAT hard, yet I cannot seem to do it. I am pretty sold on organic, at the very least. It is our last big purchase and it's a little paralyzing, or something?! In other almost mommy craziness, I have dressed a stuffed monkey in my child's ADORABLE cloth diapers. Cannot believe that I am so enamored with DIAPERS of all things.

 

[Loves Vintage]

LV- You know... I think you're having a girl, too! This is because you have had an ultrasound and told us so, though

Hahaha!!! I hope you're right! I've got a tiny little maybe .05% doubt since I won't be having another u/s. Here's hoping Samantha isn't really a Samuel, otherwise, I'll be returning lots of clothes!!

What kind of cloth diapers did you decide on? Very cute about the monkey! I love all of my cloth diapers too! It is so weird to say that. Haha.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Luvinlife - Ellie's movement was definitely on/off again at 18 weeks. In fact, I don't think I was certain I was feeling her until 19 or 20. I bet you'll be feeling lots more movement very soon.

Noel - you are not humongoid, you look great!! What a cute bump you have!! Sounds like you've been really busy, plus if you're uncomfortable and not sleeping well - that's enough to make any preggo cry (doesn't take much, does it??) I totally agree that the pillow between the knees with knees bent and together helps with the ECP. It's unfortunate though, because I love sleeping the other way you described (bottom leg straightened out and top leg bent). I'm sorry you're having to deal with the lump - I bet it's a benign fibroadenoma that is now bigger with your preggo hormones. Here's hoping so! *hugs*

Dreamer - still so cool to see you over here! So far my ECP seems to be staying pretty mild - it only hurts in certain positions, not all the time. Maneuvering myself out of bed to pee at night always makes it hurt, and when I first sit up from laying down in bed it hurts, but once I get up and moving it's OK. And then when I bend over forward or squat, that makes it hurt too. But keeping my knees together as much as possible seems to help. Do you know of any exercises I should be doing?? I'm not to the point where I feel like I need to go get physical therapy, but I'd definitely do exercises at home if I knew what to do!

Tao - ooh, maybe it's a girl!! Fingers crossed!! Not long now till you find out!! YAY!

Geri - super cute belly, momma!! I hope you get the travel insurance thing figured out so you can go on your babymoon!!

Deelight - yay for new maternity clothes!! Let us know how they work out!! Oh, and I totally know what you mean re: people's comments. I *know* one of the first things that come to people's minds is "i wonder how far along she is...is she carrying big or small...etc" and I'm OK with people asking me how far along I am, but really, I wish they would bite their tongue re: their reaction to the answer, yanno?

LV - you look fantastic, mama!! My ECP goes away after I get up and walk, most of the time. Sometimes I feel it just sitting (like right now, I've got a mild dull ache down there) but most of the time I don't. It's usually just with changing positions, which is totally tolerable. OMG I can't imagine finding out that Ellie is a boy right before (or at) delivery! I don't know if I'd handle it as well as that lady was!! I'd get over it, of course, but the initial shock would be huge I'm sure!!

CatLuver - you're so cute! What a perfect little bump! Yeah, I'm afraid of my little hernia getting bigger too, but I don't think there's much to be done to prevent it. I've got one of those support bands too, but I don't really like wearing it, LOL. I think it makes my belly shape look funny! Plus I'm so hot all the time anyway (and the highs here are still mid 70's) that the idea of an extra layer doesn't appeal to me. I'll post my 28 week pic (almost a full week late, LOL)! I'll post 2 to show you how mine looks different depending on how I stand and hold my posture too!

Cdt - hang in there momma! You are so close!! I hope your ECP is not too bad today and your tailbone is holding up OK!!

DivaDiamond - booooo for ECP! Did you have any during your first pregnancy?

Laila - you're right, December is just around the corner!! We will have lots of new babies very soon!! How are you doing??

IceKid - gosh, I can't believe you're almost term!! Craaazy how time flies!! Little Jumper will be here before you know it! Glad to hear I'm not the only one having some ECP - sounds like you, Noel, and I are all getting to experience the awesomeness. It's not too bad, mostly positional and not constant. I'm kinda terrified it will get worse over the rest of my 3rd tri...eek! Hang in there at work - take it as easy as possible, sit unless you absolutely have to stand, and stay hydrated!! Oh, and big shout-out to Ranitidine...LOVE IT. Re: mattress - we got the Colgate Clasica II (foam, has a firmer side for infant and slightly softer side for toddler) - I LOVE how well it fits in the crib (nice and snug so little arms and legs can't slip in between) and I also love that it's so lightweight, will be easy to change sheets in the middle of the night. Also nice and firm which pleases the pediatrician in me. It's not organic though. You should post a pic of your diapered monkey, hehe!!

---------------------------------------------------------------

AFM - had my 28 week appt this past Monday and everything is going great! I'm up 3 more lbs since last visit for 19 lbs total, which my doc said was perfect (don't know why she was giving you crap, Lanie - maybe she was having a bad day?) Blood pressure 110/80, so that's good, and belly measuring spot on. I told her about how Ellie's head was measuring big on the 3D ultrasound, so she said let's do a scan to check all her measurements at my next appt, which I'm happy about, because I wanna know what we're dealing with!!

I've graduated to every-2-weeks appointments - next appt at 30 weeks! And we start our labor classes next Monday night!

Here's my 28 weeks pic from last Friday - the first one is with me standing up straight and having good posture. The second is letting my muscles relax and letting the belly hang all the way out (aka how i look at the end of the day when I'm tired!) It's amazing how much bigger I look when I let it all hang out!
ETA: actually, the pics came out so that the "letting it all hang out" pic is on top, and the good posture one is on bottom!

 

[Strawdermangrl]

Just wanted to pop in here and say how cute you all are looking!!!

A- OMG, Ellie is GORGEOUS!! You look adorable!!!!

 

[noelwr]

hi ladies. so it was the labor anxiety which was making me upset and I talked to DH on Saturday about it, and he said don't worry, he would be in charge of making sure I get the epidural. and ever since Saturday I haven't gotten upset and cried! yesterday we went to the midwife to discuss the birth plan, and she said if I request epidural, I should get it within the hour (provided I request it between 3-7 cm dilation), at which point the midwife will hand over to the gynaecologist because they don't do drug-assisted births. DH took his epidural-responsibility so seriously and kept talking about it with the midwife that she asked him if it was what he wanted or what I wanted.

anyway, baby is doing well. she is fully-engaged, apparently, already at 34 weeks. now she just has to pack on some weight. I am starting to experience menstrual like cramps every now and then, knife-like stabs in my vagina (because of her position) and still have ECP when sleeping and getting dressed.

HOU - I don't understand blood pressure. last time mine was 120/62 and yesterday it was 140/68. I guess it's going up, but the midwfie didn't say anything about it. I've just graduated to every-2-weeks appointments, and I am already 34 weeks. what's up with that? enjoy the labor classes! my last one is next week. I've found it very informative. by the way, I honestly don't see any difference between your two pictures, so you have nothing to worry about what you're looking like at the end of the day.

icekid - I still don't understand how you are physically able to do it: working until day of labor. you're like superwoman.

Laila - I wonder whose baby will come first. you, me, Lynnie or Lanie. I remember us all on the TTC thread announcing our pregnancies. (I was stuck in Florida due to the volcanic ash cloud in Iceland.)

Dreamer - I am really impressed at your weight loss. I hope you can keep your weight gain in check as you've worked hard for this and don't need the pregnancy to cancel all your hard work!

Catluver & LV - try not to use your abs to get up, as you say your belly goes pointy. according to my yoga instructor you can really mess up those muscles during pregnancy and they don't go back well (not sure how true this is). I always roll onto my side and then push myself up with my arms.

 

[CatLuver]

Q for you all - is your DH planning to sleep in the hospital with you? Apparently my DH was planning to go home and sleep and I told him that was NOT how it should be…I will have just had either major surgery or the equivalent of it, spilling blood and guts all over the floor and getting sewn up (I’m convinced I’ll have tearing if a v-birth) and have needles poking everywhere, and I’ll want him there for comfort and to help me and the baby. But, maybe it won’t be a bad idea for at least him to be well-rested when we go home so he can take more responsibility for the baby while I recover at first. I thought most DHs usually stay in the room with mom and baby though (and I guess don’t get much sleep)?

icekid - I also can’t believe you’re so close! I hear you on it being surreal that you’re going to have a real BABY. It’s good to know baby is a good size already. Re: mattress, I want to get an organic one too, but I haven’t started my research. Let us know what you decide. That’s really funny about your diapered monkey. You should take a picture of it and save it for future laughs.

Hou - You look really great! I’m annoyed about people IRL judging pregnant women’s bodies too. It’s none of their business! I don’t go obviously eyeing peoples’ bodies up and down and making unsolicited comments about how big or small they are when they are not pregnant; peoples’ bodies are personal so they should keep their comments and reactions to themselves. (not here of course, that’s different!)

Noel - You are getting so close too! I believe your yoga instructor and am really trying not to further damage my muscles. I get you on the labor anxiety. Hopefully you’ll get your epidural and all will be well. I try not to think about it too much which is weird for me because I like being in control, but since I realize I can’t control my labor, I am going the opposite way and not wanting to know too much detail about it (then I’ll obsess about all the things that can go wrong and be frustrated that I can’t control it). I’m not even planning on going to labor class - I figure they will tell me what to do at the time and I will do it. I’m not someone who is set on a certain “birth experience” and will be disappointed if it doesn’t turn out that way. I understand trying to feel optimistic and empowered about birth, but honestly I just don’t feel that way. To me, the baby needs to come out, period. Whatever gets him out safely and hopefully, with less damage to me if possible (but I accept that there will inevitably be damage), will be fine. I’m not interested in alternative birthing practices or natural birthing. My mom had a long labor w/o drugs, cutting/tearing and I had to get pulled out with forceps so I have no illusions of a beautiful, moving labor experience…it’s the opposite. I know others feel differently though.

 

[Kunzite]

3 days old!!

Hi ladies, sorry for the lack of update for so long. It appears that I’ve jumped my turn on the list! Oliver Liam was born 11/7 at 7:12 in the morning, weighing 4 pounds 2 ounces and was 16.75 inches long.

The rest of the story for anyone who wants the long version…..

On day 13 in antepartum I started to feel uncomfortable all day. I thought maybe it was because I had been in the hospital for so long. I was having pretty sharp pains really low in pelvis and assumed it was ECP. I even talked to my day nurse about it and confirmed that he was probably just hitting some nerves with his head.

At around 9pm (exactly two weeks to the hour since I had checked in) my night nurse came on and started my monitoring. Immediately it was showing that I was having contractions. It only took about an hour for them to become painful and within a few minutes of each other. I tried to remember noel’s advice on breathing but I just couldn’t get it down.

At 1am the on-call OB started me on Magnesium which made me feel like I was on fire! Poor dh was feeding me ice chips by the cup full and changing out cool washcloths on my head like a champ. My blood test came back with an elevated white blood cell count indicating I might have been starting to get an infection.

Finally at 3am (after the time change) I was moved to L&D and the OB finally decided to see if I was dilated. I was at a 3 so we called to have the anesthesiologist give me my epidural. Now ladies, I was reading the posts a few pages ago about epidurals and that was in my head when he started to give it to me. I kept telling myself that the worst part was going to be the numbing. Hopefully I’m not scaring anyone, but that was not the case for me at all. When he went to place the epidural I thought a knife was running down my back. I said a few choice curse words (so not like me) and it was over. At least I thought it was over. Epidural #1 = failure.

At 4am the anesthesiologist comes back to try again. The second epidural was just as painful as the first and I’m starting to lose faith in this guy!! Is he even a real anesthesiologist?! Epidural #2 = failure. The anesthesiologist and my labor nurse start arguing over what to do. I don’t know much of their conversion because I’m literally screaming every time I have a contraction. Ladies, I don’t even know what was coming out of my mouth half the time. DH had some good ones to tell me later. I said “Fudge, fudge, fudge” a lot, and “no, no, no, no, no, I can’t do this!!” I think I was even saying “Oh lord” even though I’m not religious. Apparently labor pains made me religious! At some point during the conversation DH hears the anesthesiologist tell my nurse that he’s thrown the kitchen sink in my epidural and there’s not much he can do.

I can tell my nurse and OB are concerned about my pain because clearly this hadn’t been my plan and I wasn’t handling it well. At 6:30am the OB tells me that the best way to get rid of the pain is to start to push. Gladly!! During the next contraction everyone starts saying PUSH and boy did I. I wanted that child out. Oddly enough the pain was much easier to bear when I was pushing. It took 5 contractions and Oliver flew out (according to DH, like a cannon shot). I won’t lie, that was easily the most painful part of the entire experience. The entire rest of the morning was a blur. While I was being stitch up from my tear, DH was able to go with Ollie and the NICU team as they checked him out. I didn’t really get to see the little guy before they whisked him away.

Finally, around noon I was able to be wheeled up to the NICU to see my little preemie, and of course I cried, cried, cried, when I finally got to see him. And ladies, he’s doing great! The two weeks he was able to bake really helped. He was only on pressurized room air for 12 hours before they were able to take him off. We even got to hold him on day two.

Wow, sorry for the novel!! I’ll try to be back within the day or so to share pictures (they’re all on DH’s computer). We have no idea who this child looks like because it not really me or his papa. I guess we’ll find out as he grows into his features a little more. Now I’m off to pump, pump, pump, like a crazy woman and try to get this little guy some food!

Oh, and I’d like to say to the ladies who want a natural birth…. you are crazy! I’ve already told DH we’re a one child family now and I’m considering celibacy.